May 7th, 2018After being drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft by the Washington Capitals, Russian goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov has finally landed in DC after signing a 3-year, entry-level contract. His contract will have an impact of $925,000 on the Washington Capitals cap space. Samsonov, who turned 21 last February, spent the last three...

July 25th, 2017Goaltenders have been, and potentially always will be, the toughest position to evaluate and project a development curve for in hockey. They have proven to be far more inconsistent than a forward or defenceman, and their performance often rides heavily on their team's success. It's tough to show a scout great potential while...

January 7th, 2017The 2017 World Junior Championships was a successful event for the Russians, who returned home with a medal for the seventh consecutive year. The team lead by Valeri Bragin, however, didn't manage to beat North American teams a single time, even if they surrendered to Team USA in the Semifinals only after the shootout. The team was...

January 5th, 2017A bronze medal should never be seen as a consolation prize. Making the final four in of itself is an accomplishment. In fact, in order to capture bronze, you have to win, thus ending your tournament on a high note. Obviously, for a country with high aspirations, you always want to be competing for gold, especially a team like Sweden...

January 5th, 2017It all comes down to this. Four countries, vying for three medals, one looking to be crowned World Junior Champion. In a tournament that is normally fairly predictable, the four best countries are indeed the ones left standing. The only real surprise this year was Finland's collapse, though they did manage to avoid being relegated with...

January 4th, 2017The Americans record against Russia in the knock-out round was 0-7 going into their semifinal match-up. The US was also facing the daunting task of beating the same team twice in the same tournament. From the drop of the puck the game was outstanding. End to end chances, very few stoppages in play, high pace, and plenty of highlight reel...

December 26th, 2016Team Russia will enter the 2017 World Junior Championship as one of the contenders for the gold medal, as tradition dictates. Being the country with the most overall success in the recent years brings many responsibilities, but surely the team lead by Valeri Bragin will be ready to face the pressure. Team Russia has changed a lot...

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